Overview
Most travellers drive through Peermade on the way from Kottayam to Thekkady — the road passes through the estates and most vehicles do not stop. The hill station sits at over 3,000 feet in Idukki district on a landscape that Henry Baker Junior, a 19th-century missionary, identified as plantation country before anyone else had considered it. Coffee came first. Then tea, then cardamom, then the Maharaja of Travancore who chose Peermade as his summer retreat and built two palaces here. The Peermade tea brand produced from the Misty Mountain estate is sold internationally. This peermade plantation stay tour kerala is built for the traveller who wants to stop where everyone else drives through.
Bon Voyagers manages the complete ground programme for this peermade plantation stay tour kerala from Kochi Airport arrival and departure. The private AC Innova Crysta covers all road transfers throughout. Five nights accommodation — two nights at a plantation bungalow or estate resort in Peermade, one at Thekkady, one Alleppey houseboat night, one at Kochi — daily breakfast and dinner on MAP basis. Houseboat lunch and evening tea on the Alleppey night, Periyar Lake boat ride, cardamom estate walk and all sightseeing transfers are included. The per person cost of this peermade plantation stay tour kerala is ₹22,700.
Day-wise Itinerary
6-day travel plan — tap any day to view full details.
This peermade plantation stay tour kerala begins at Kochi Airport where the Bon Voyagers representative meets the group on arrival. The drive from Kochi to Peermade covers approximately 170 kilometres via Kottayam — a four to five hour drive that passes through the Kottayam rubber belt before the road begins climbing into the Idukki hills. Peermade announces itself through the plantation landscape — the tea rows and cardamom shade gardens appear on either side of the road well before the town does.
At over 3,000 feet the air is cooler and distinctly spiced — the cardamom aroma in the air around the estates is not a marketing promise, it is a physical fact of being in this landscape. Check-in at the plantation bungalow or estate resort. Overnight at Peermade.
The full Peermade day of this peermade plantation stay tour kerala is built around the estate itself. The morning plantation walk covers tea rows and cardamom shade gardens — the two crops that define this landscape. Cardamom cultivation is specific to this elevation and humidity — the plants grow under shade trees in organised rows with the pods clustering at the base of the stem rather than at the tip, which means the cardamom harvest requires close work with the plant.
The Misty Mountain tea estate nearby produces the internationally sold Peermade tea brand using the orthodox processing method — a factory visit if the estate allows access gives the group the full leaf-to-cup picture. The afternoon is the Peermade viewpoints — the cardamom hills rolling away in every direction with the Vandiperiyar valley below. Overnight at Peermade.
Day 3 of this peermade plantation stay tour kerala moves through Vandiperiyar — approximately 18 kilometres from Peermade on the same plateau. The Vandiperiyar stretch is one of the oldest tea plantation zones in Kerala — estates that have been in continuous operation since the 1870s and 1880s when British planters first cleared the upper Idukki slopes. The Periyar River gives Vandiperiyar its name and flows through the valley below the plantation belt.
The Travancore summer palace area at Peermade — the Maharaja's retreat from the coast heat — is a heritage walk through what remains of the palace grounds, now partly converted to other uses but still carrying the colonial-era building character that the surrounding plantation bungalows share. Overnight at Peermade.
The drive from Peermade to Thekkady covers approximately 45 kilometres — a short transfer through the plantation belt to the Periyar Tiger Reserve edge. The Periyar Lake boat ride inside the reserve runs in the afternoon — a one to two hour circuit on the reservoir where elephant, deer and bison come to the water edge. For a group that has spent two days inside working plantations, the Periyar forest interior is a contrast in the best sense — the same Western Ghats landscape where the plantation cleared the forest on one side and the reserve protected it on the other.
Sightings are well documented but never guaranteed. The Thekkady spice market in the evening carries the concentrated fragrance of the belt that the group has been living in for three days. Overnight at Thekkady.
The drive from Thekkady to Alleppey covers approximately 140 kilometres through the Kottayam rubber belt — around three hours. Houseboat check-in at Alleppey is at noon. The structural contrast that this peermade plantation stay tour kerala builds toward is most visible at this point — three days in the cardamom-scented air of the Peermade hills, one day in the forest reserve, and now the kettuvallam on the flat backwater canal at water level.
The paddy fields on both sides, the coconut grove banks and the village life visible from the vessel are a complete physical change from the plantation bungalow. Lunch and evening tea on board. The houseboat moors for the night. Overnight on the houseboat.
Houseboat checkout is by 9 AM. The canal at dawn — the mist over the paddy fields and the bird calls from the bank — closes the water section of this peermade plantation stay tour kerala. After checkout the vehicle drives to Kochi Airport — approximately 55 kilometres from Alleppey, taking around 1.5 hours.
Travellers with afternoon flights have time for a Marine Drive walk along the Kochi waterfront or a Fort Kochi morning before departure — the Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town opens from around 10 AM. The Bon Voyagers vehicle drops at Kochi Airport. This peermade plantation stay tour kerala ends here.
Map
Inclusions & Exclusions
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Pickup and drop at Kochi Airport on Day 1 and Day 6 respectively.
- All road transfers throughout by private AC Innova Crysta or similar vehicle as per the itinerary.
- Two nights accommodation in plantation bungalow or deluxe estate resort at Peermade on double sharing basis.
- One night accommodation in deluxe hotel or resort at Thekkady on double sharing basis.
- One night deluxe houseboat stay at Alleppey on double sharing basis.
- Houseboat lunch and evening tea included on the Alleppey houseboat night.
- One night accommodation in deluxe hotel at Kochi on double sharing basis.
- Daily breakfast and dinner at all hotels and houseboat on MAP basis throughout all six days.
- Cardamom estate walk and plantation programme at Peermade on Day 2.
- Vandiperiyar heritage drive and tea estate route on Day 3.
- Periyar Lake boat ride entry ticket inside Periyar Tiger Reserve on Day 4.
- All sightseeing transfers as per the itinerary throughout.
- Meet and greet service at Kochi Airport on arrival.
- Travel assistance by field executive throughout.
- All fuel, toll and parking charges for the private vehicle throughout the trip.
- Driver and vehicle allowances for the full trip duration — nothing extra owed on the road.
NOT INCLUDED
- Flight tickets to and from Kochi — booked separately by the traveller.
- Lunch on all days except the Alleppey houseboat night.
- Tea factory visit charges if applicable at the Misty Mountain estate — paid locally.
- Kathakali or Kalaripayattu show at Thekkady on Day 4 — paid locally if attended.
- Spice purchases at the Thekkady market — personal expense.
- Personal expenses including laundry, tips, room service, telephone calls, shopping and beverages.
- Camera and video charges at all sites — paid separately on site.
- Any additional sightseeing or extra vehicle use beyond what is listed in the itinerary.
- Costs arising from natural events including weather-related estate or houseboat restrictions — to be borne by the traveller directly.
- Any item not clearly listed under the inclusions above.
- Fort Kochi heritage entry tickets if visited on Day 6 morning — paid locally.
Best Time to Visit
October to March is most comfortable for this Peermade-Vandiperiyar-Thekkady-Alleppey circuit. The cardamom harvest season runs broadly August through November, so visiting in October or November gives a working harvest alongside the plantation walk. The Alleppey houseboat is calmest from November to February, while March to May runs warmer but Peermade's altitude keeps temperatures manageable compared to the coast.
Important Price & Package Conditions
- Prices are subject to availability and may vary based on travel dates, hotel selection, and seasonal demand.
- The actual price is reconfirmed at the time of booking. Discounts or deals may apply depending on ongoing promotions.
- Prices displayed do not include optional add-ons such as cab upgrades, special activities, or extra room categories unless mentioned.
- For group bookings, custom itineraries, or peak season travel, final pricing may differ. Please connect with our travel expert.
- 50% advance payment confirms your booking.
- Remaining balance is due 45 days before travel.
- Natural disasters or political unrest will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
- Valid for Indian nationals only. International guests may require special permits.
- Carry original government ID for all hotels.
- Secure payments and flexible policies.
- 24x7 emergency support during travel.
Subha Travels reserves the right to update package pricing and availability. For clarity or a custom quote, please connect with our support team.